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Lady Speightspeare Proves Best in GI Natalma

Chuck Fipke’s Lady Speightspeare, named a ‘TDN Rising Star’ for an impressive frontrunning debut victory, backed that distinction up with a gusty success in Sunday’s GI Natalma S. at Woodbine, punching her ticket to the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf in the “Win and You’re In” event.

Unveiled as a 22-5 chance going seven furlongs over this course Aug. 22, the chestnut dictated terms and drew away down the lane to a 3 3/4-length graduation, with the runner-up also finishing six clear of the remainder. Drilling a sharp five-furlong bullet in :58 3/5 (1/7) over the Woodbine training turf Sept. 13, she was made a fractional favorite over morning-line choice and local Catch A Glimpse S. heroine Alda.

Breaking smartly after acting up in the gate, Lady Speightspeare was taken into the clear by Emma-Jayne Wilson and tracked longshot Big Big Plans from a close-up second through splits of :23.77 and :47.92. It briefly looked as though the frontrunner would steal away midway around the turn, but Lady Speightspeare drew alongside her by the time heads pointed for home. Going on with it entering the final furlong, she was attacked late by Alda from her outside, but stayed on strongly to hold that rival at bay.

“In the starting gate, she acted up a little bit, but [it] was a testament to her intent. Last time she ran, she was such a racehorse,” said Wilson. “She broke through the pack early and went to the lead with such intent, I think it was the same thing today in the gate. She knew it was coming, they yelled ‘last one,’ she was anticipating the doors to open so she popped up a little. The doors opened and I just kind of put my hands down and the outside horse out-stepped her the first little bit and she showed that composure of a racehorse, she knew that she was going to get a chance to run and I had a chance to let that horse cross over and just put her right on her flank and she settled into stride, got into rhythm and, man, when they started to come to her, just like last time, she really leveled off and dug in.”

Pedigree Notes:

Now one of 116 stakes winners, 57 graded stakes winners and 19 Grade I winners for WinStar stalwart Speightstown, Lady Speightspeare is the first black-type performer out of Lady Shakespeare, victress of the 2009 Ontario Colleen S. over this course and the GII New York S. and GIII Grey Goose Bewitch S. in 2010. She is a half-sister to Perfect Shirl (Perfect Soul {Ire}), who carried the Fipke colors to victory in the 2011 GI Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf, and a full-sister to MGISW Shakespeare, who took the GI Woodbine Mile S. here as a 6-year-old in 2017. Second dam Lady Shirl was a GISW over turf as well. Lady Shakespeare has a yearling More Than Ready filly and foaled a colt by the same sire Mar. 28 before visiting Bee Jersey.

Sunday, Woodbine
NATALMA S.-GI, C$253,000, Woodbine, 9-20, 2yo, f, 1mT, 1:34.61, fm.
1–LADY SPEIGHTSPEARE, 121, f, 2, by Speightstown
1st Dam: Lady Shakespeare (MGSW-USA, SW-Can, $495,608), by Theatrical (Ire)
2nd Dam: Lady Shirl, by That’s a Nice
3rd Dam: Canonization, by Native Heritage
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. O/B-Charles Fipke (KY); T-Roger L. Attfield; J-Emma-Jayne Wilson. C$150,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $146,394. Werk Nick Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Alda, 121, f, 2, by Munnings
1st Dam: Soldata, by Maria’s Mon
2nd Dam: Soldera, by Polish Numbers
3rd Dam: La Pepite, by Mr. Prospector
O/B-Wertheimer et Frere (KY); T-H. Graham Motion. C$50,000.
3–Seasons, 121, f, 2, by Tapit
1st Dam: Winter Memories, by El Prado (Ire)
2nd Dam: Memories of Silver, by Silver Hawk
3rd Dam: All My Memories, by Little Current
O-LNJ Foxwoods & Phillips Racing Partnership; B-Phillips Racing Partnership (KY); T-James J. Toner. C$27,500.
Margins: 3/4, 2 3/4, HD. Odds: 2.50, 2.60, 5.05.
Also Ran: Dreaming of Drew, Sleek Lynx (GB), Stunning Princess, Big Big Plans.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Gretzky the Great Skates to Win in GI Summer S.

Gretzky the Great (Nyquist), who became freshman sire Nyquist (Uncle Mo)’s first stakes winner in August, became his second Grade I winner less than a month later with a victory in Sunday’s GI Summer S. at Woodbine. The score in the “Win and You’re In” event punched Gretzky the Great’s ticket to the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and gave Japanese-born jockey Kazushi Kimura his first career Grade I triumph.

Unveiled going five furlongs on the local turf July 12, the Ontario-bred was runner-up to re-opposing rival Ready to Repeat before graduating by open lengths in an off-the-turfer there Aug. 2. Getting up late to capture the 6 1/2-furlong Soaring Free S. three weeks later, Gretzky the Great was made a narrow favorite here.

Coming away well, the bay deferred to draft in behind of Ready to Repeat in the two path for the long run up the backstretch. Traveling comfortably past fractions of :24.10 and :47.82, he was given just a nudge by Kimura three-eighths out and sidled up alongside the pacesetter soon after straightening for home as the top two separated themselves from the pack. Overtaking Ready to Repeat past the three-sixteenths pole, he quickly kicked clear while briefly lugging into his foe’s path and cruised home much the best. An inquiry was taken into the winner’s drifting, but the result stood.

“He is such an amazing horse,” said Kimura. “Through the final stretch, he had a tremendous explosion. He sometimes was lugging in a little bit, but he’s just still a baby. First time out it was only five furlongs, then when he won I was like, ‘Oh, that will be a stakes horse for the future.’ And then winning a stakes and now he’s got a Grade I, he’s such a nice horse.”

Pedigree Notes:

Already the second Grade I winner for Darley’s first-crop sensation Nyquist–following GI Spinaway S. victress Vequist–Gretzky the Great is the second foal to race out of MSP Pearl Turn. Bought by Anderson Farms for $310,000 at Keeneland November in 2016, she has a yearling Quality Road colt and visited Uncle Mo this spring.

Sunday, Woodbine
SUMMER S.-GI, C$280,500, Woodbine, 9-20, 2yo, 1mT, 1:34.53, fm.
1–GRETZKY THE GREAT, 122, c, 2, by Nyquist
              1st Dam: Pearl Turn (MSP, $182,560), by Bernardini
                2nd Dam: Turn Me Loose, by Kris S.
                3rd Dam: Adoradancer, by Danzig Connection
   1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN. ($295,000 RNA
Ylg ’19 FTKOCT). O-Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners & Gary
Barber; B-Anderson Farms Ont. Inc. (ON); T-Mark E. Casse;
J-Kazushi Kimura. C$180,000. Lifetime Record: 4-3-1-0,
$252,205. Click for eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Werk
   Nick Rating: A+++ *Triple Plus*
2–Ready to Repeat, 122, g, 2, More Than Ready–Christine
Daae, by Giant’s Causeway. ($60,000 Ylg ’19 KEESEP). O-Gail
Cox, John Menary, Michael James Ambler, and Windways
Farm; B-Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings LLC (KY); T-Gail
Cox. C$50,000.
3–Dolder Grand, 122, c, 2, Candy Ride (Arg)–Tamboz, by Tapit.
($800,000 2yo ’20 OBSAPR). O-D. J. Stable LLC; B-Dell Ridge
Farm, LLC (KY); T-Mark E. Casse. C$27,500.
Margins: 3 1/4, 1, HF. Odds: 2.40, 4.85, 5.85.
Also Ran: American Monarch, Heat of the Night, Secret Potion, Download. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.

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Study: Too-Tight Nosebands Can Lead To Nasal Bone Damage In Horses

A new study X-rayed the heads of 144 horses and found many showed bony changes where the noseband typically sits. Though the scientists stress that their study doesn't provide evidence of a link between the noseband, its tightness and the lesions, they do feel that the lesions warrant further investigation on welfare grounds.

The use of too-tight nosebands is concerning to veterinarians, scientists and other equine welfare advocates who worry that the device, if used too tightly, causes distress and applies too much pressure to the tissues in the horse's head, potentially injuring both the tissue and the bone beneath it.

The study used 144 mature Warmblood horses, all used in the Mexican Army and based in Mexico City. Each horse began his career in training for dressage, showjumping and eventing. Noseband tightness is not routinely checked with any type of gauge. The horses were evaluated both physically and with an X-ray. The physical exam looked for lesions, pain on palpation or white hairs where the noseband or curb chain rest.

A week later, X-rays were taken and assessed by veterinarian diagnostic imaging specialists who knew nothing about the horses they were studying. The X-rays were examined for bone remodeling, radiographic opacity and soft tissue thickness in the areas where the noseband meets the lower jaw and nasal bones. They reported bone thickening in the nasal bones of 6.9 percent and 8.3 percent of the horses, and bone thinning in 33.3 percent and 56.9 percent of horses. The radiologists found increased bone deposition in 18.8 percent and 32.6 percent of the lower jaws of horses.

The scientists conclude that these results are the first evidence of bone lesions in the areas typically subjected to pressure from restricted nosebands. They note that this deformation of bone for competitive advantage is difficult to justify on ethical grounds.

Read the full study here.

Middle Park Next for The Lir Jet

Group winner The Lir Jet (Ire) (Prince of Lir {Ire}) will resurface in the G1 Middle Park S. at Newmarket on Sept. 26. The Qatar Racing runner was originally slated for a return in the G2 Flyer Childers S. earlier this month, but was a non-runner that day. After winning the G2 Norfolk S. at Royal Ascot in June, the colt missed by only a short head in the G2 Prix Robert Papin at Chanitlly in mid-July and was third promoted to second in the Aug. 9 G1 Phoenix S.

“We just felt five furlongs on drying ground wouldn’t necessarily be his thing,” said conditioner Michael Bell. “We had the Middle Park as an alternative and, all being well, we’ll head to Newmarket.

“I’m sure it will be a very good race, but the horse is in very good form and good order, so we’re looking forward to it. Hopefully Newmarket will produce a nice, safe surface for everybody, which I’m sure they will.”

Also making his next start in the Middle Park is undefeated Listed Rose Bowl S. hero Method (Ire) (Mehmas {Ire}). The colt opened his account with a 4 1/4-length win in a Doncaster novice affair in June prior to his listed win on July 18 for owner Manton Park Racing.

“He’s doing his final bits of prep for that and, at the moment, it’s all systems go for Saturday,” said trainer Martyn Meade. “Everything is going to plan. He’s definitely on course for that. He’s fine and we’re hoping for a big run from him. It’s very exciting and we’d love to win that to make a miserable season a bit better.”

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